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Forging your path
On the Ship You have all booked voyage across the Sunstar ocean from the lands of Mierodran to Aiur, a wartorn land. The captain, Brauduf Dustmane, has agreed to give you free passage to Aiur in exchange for work done on his ship, the Siren's Call. Dustmane looks to be around his 50's and stands at 5'10" and weighs around 177 pounds, he has shaggy salt and peppered hair and beard, a long jagged scar goes down his face from a scrap with a kobold earlier in his life abd walks with a limp from an unrelated incident. The ship, while old, is well maintained especially on the outside. Even with all the maintenance done on the ship you find it hard to fall asleep at night due to the constant creaking of the ship not to mention the strong musty smell that permeates the air. Being largely untrained in seafaring you have been left to swabbing the decks of salt, grime, and slime, as well as brightshining, and dumping waste over the edge. Your fellow passengers are largely families. Many of them have paid their way but there are some who are working their ways through, especially those with sailing backgrounds. You have set sail roughly two and a half weeks ago. You are all currently on the top decks doing chores, or simply relaxing. There are a few other passengers up top but most of the people are crew members. You estimate it being early morning but it is hard to tell as there is heavy fog which is causing a visibility of around 10 feet. Attack As you wander around you hear the crow's nest member shouting "SHIP ENEMY SHIP INCOMING, PIRATES!" Due to the visibility the ship rams into the Siren's Call before you can react. The shouts of pirates coming cutting through the air as they swing from their ship out of the fog onto yours. "PROTECT THE CIVILIANS, ALL HANDS TO BATTLE STATIONS" roars dustmane Aftermath As the battle dies down and the last of the pirates are killed the crew begins to tow the other ship behind the Siren's Call while getting the bodies of those fallen in combat ready for a burial at sea. You see Captain Dustmane limping his way toward you all, he beckons you all closer to him. "You all seem to be very capable and brave adventurers. The town that we make port is known as Thornhold. The man in charge of the town is named Thresh Axerage. He is a dear friend of mine, we served together in the military many years ago. Either way Thornhold used to be a shining jewel for all to make port. But these days the city wallows in filth and villainy. Thresh is doing his best to bring order and civility to the town but unfortunately he is underfunded and undermanned. He is looking for some strong adventurers who would be able to help him out. I will send one of my men ahead to notify him of your coming. He will most likely be at the keep. Thresh could prove to be a powerful ally in the lands of Peschen and Aiur. You would be wise to speak with him." Making port You arrive at the city of Thornhold. As you step off the ship onto a rotting pier you look upon the city. You notice a good deal of the buildings seem to be abandoned or boarded up. There are several plots of land where there is only rubble. As you look past the buildings and up to the city walls there seems to be a slight haze in the air, almost of as there was a film over everything you see. The putrid smell of filth fills your nostrils, making it difficult to breathe. Most of the people you see walking around have covered their faces with scarves and other makeshift clothing. In the corners and sides of roads you see piles upon piles of rat carcasses. The streets of the city have few guards and there are even fewer upon its walls. Looking around it is clear that this is a city whose finest days are behind it. Meeting with Thresh You come upon an older man who stands in front of what seems to be the local keep. He is dressed in plate armor and is carrying a sword on his left hip and a spear slung across his back. Even while wearing his armor you can tell he is a large man. He stand at 6'5" and has short well kept hair. He also has a large bushy beard that is kept meticulously groomed. There are strong streaks of gray in his hair and his face has the age worn creases that suggest he may be in his 50's. "Well then, by the looks of you lot, I would assume you are the adventurers that Dustmane sent me?" "It is true that I am looking for help. I have recently took control over this city and has become a hive of corruption. There are many things that can be done but I wonder if I can trust you? You all seem to be good in combat but I must first ask a favor of you all. I am sure you no doubt have seen the piles of dead rats that litter our streets?" "I do not know when they happened but they have been growing in number since I have arrived. We for a time tried to poison them but this led to the problem you see before you. The poison worked in that it killed them, but for each rat we killed it seemed there was another to take its place. Even worse they have begun to feast on their fallen brethren. It seems as if the rats come from the sewers that are underneath our city. I have sent a couple of soldiers down there but they never returned and I cannot afford to send more soldiers to their deaths. I do not have much money to give you, but I and several of my compatriots are well versed in various fields and can give you training." "And if that wasn't enough we have had a problem with children of the city going missing. Each night a child or two has gone missing from the beds. We have no idea what has happened to them or where they are going. We have had several watchmen patrolling the streets but we haven't found anything nor heard a peep. If you were to find out what happened to the children we would be forever in your debt." "There is a bard who has taken to calming down the children, his name is Elan Bon. He typically plays his lute to the children which seems to calm them down. He would be more than willing to help you I am sure. He can usually be found in the tavern if he is not playing to the children since he rents a room there." After "I am extremely grateful to see that you have rescued the children. I had no clue that Nale was the one behind the abductions. I am glad that you have sent him to his demise. Do you happen to know why he was doing this?" "There is another problem, if you didn't know a meteor shower has struck the earth and we have been getting reports of raving bands of orcs and monsters attacking nearby villages. We have one report from the village of Norfolk, it is nearby to the east roughly an hour. I would stay away from the mountains however. There are powerful creatures that make their homes there."